Iverson Shines on Broadway
Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers aren't the most welcome guests in NBA arenas. The league's best road team simply hasn't given opposing fans much to cheer about.
Iverson scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half to help Philadelphia beat the New York Knicks 87-80 Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Philadelphia is 21-5 on the road, surpassing last season's total for victories away from home.
The Sixers, who had a 13-game road winning streak snapped Tuesday in Toronto, moved 7½ games ahead of the second-place Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
"This is the first real team I've been on in my life," Iverson said. "There are no egos, nobody cares who's shooting the ball, who has the name, who's the All-Star. It's all about one common goal: bringing a championship to Philadelphia."
And Iverson is the biggest reason why, despite his latest controversy. He made headlines after verbally sparring with fans in Indiana on Sunday.
"It was blown out of proportion because people heard me responding back," Iverson said. "But if you listen, you'll hear things way worse than what I said. But I'm Allen Iverson and I have an 'X' on my chest. I handled it the wrong way. I shouldn't have yelled back."
Iverson received a mixed reaction from the New York crowd when he was introduced Thursday, and even joked with a couple of fans as Theo Ratliff shot free throws in the final seconds.
Iverson shot 11-of-30 and had eight assists against the NBA's stingiest defense, but hit two long jumpers in the final three minutes to keep Philadelphia in the lead.
"You can contain him, but you can't stop him," teammate Tyrone Hill said. "He has never met his match."
Allan Houston scored 27 points and Latrell Sprewell had 21 for the Knicks, who have lost four of five. Sprewell missed two key shots in the last minute.
The Knicks, who trailed most of the game, drew within one on a basket by Marcus Camby with 3:06 left. "I did good against him until the last two or three minutes," Sprewell said. "But hey, if he hits one in your face like that, you just have to take it."
A finger roll by Sprewell made it 83-80, but the Knicks did not score in the final 1:25.
"We rely on the jump shot," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It can be a great weapon and it also can be an inconsistent way to score."
Iverson missed his first shot of the third quarter, his 13th miss in 17 tries. But then he heated up, hitting three-pointers on three straight trips early, at one time imploring Larry Brown to "gimme the ball," as the coach tried to call a set play.
Aaron McKie added 16 points for the Sixers, Hill had 12 and Ratliff finished with nine points and 13 rebounds.
Camby had 12 points and nine rebounds in his first game back from a five-game suspension for throwing a punch at San Antonio's Danny Ferry.
Notes: Toni Kukoc missed his third straight game for the Sixers with a strained lower back. ... Knicks forward Kurt Thomas missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.
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